Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) met with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) for more than two hours in Beijing yesterday and agreed to a five-point "vision for cross-strait peace" based on the so-called "1992 consensus."
In the much-anticipated meeting, Hu and Lien talked as leaders of their respective parties, the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), in private at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
At a press conference held directly after the meeting, Lien described his talks with Hu as "sincere and natural." The animosity between the CCP and the KMT is a thing of the past, and what is important is to work together to create the future, he said.
At the press conference, KMT spokesman Chang Jung-kung (
The first point, Chang said, is an agreement between the CCP and the KMT to support the so-called "1992 consensus" and to support the resumption of cross-strait negotiation.
Both parties oppose Taiwanese independence and seek the peaceful stabilization of the Taiwan Strait and facilitate the development of cross-strait peace, Chang said. Both parties agree on the importance of resuming negotiations on an equal basis and on the need for cross-strait dialogue on common issues in pursuit of the common good of both countries, he said.
Second, the two parties agreed on the need to facilitate the end of the standoff between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and on the establishment of a peace agreement, Chang said.
In order to do this, he said, the KMT and CCP have agreed to push for the establishment of mechanisms to promote peaceful and stable development of cross-strait relations, such as one for military affairs to avoid military conflicts.
Third, the two parties agreed to establish mechanisms to promote economic cooperation and cross-strait interaction, he said. Examples of economic cooperation agreed upon were the opening of direct transportation links, including direct flights, and the strengthening of investment and agricultural cooperation, he said.
Fourth, Chang said, the two parties agreed to push for negotiations on Taiwanese participation in international organizations and events. A priority, he said, would be Taiwanese membership in the World Health Organization, a position which Taiwan has long coveted but has been blocked by China.
The last point, Chang said, was a plan to establish a system for party-to-party communication and talks to continue the dialogue Lien and Hu began yesterday.
Both Lien and Hu emphasized the so-called "1992 consensus" in remarks prior to their closed-door meeting.
In his words of welcome to Lien, Hu called their meeting a historic moment for the both their parties and the beginning of a new era. He said the CCP welcomes anyone who acknowledges the "1992 consensus."
Indirectly slamming President Chen Shui-bian's (
"The KMT hopes to build a beautiful and bright future for both nations across the strait on the basis of the `1992 consensus,'" Lien said.
The so-called "1992 consensus" refers to an agreement supposedly made on "one China" during a meeting in Hong Kong in 1992 between Taiwanese and Chinese representatives.
The KMT has said that both sides agreed verbally that there was only one China and that both sides would retain their own interpretation of that "one China." Neither the Chen administration nor the former KMT government ever accepted that there was such a consensus.
Also see stories:
Foreign minister criticizes Lien's trip
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
RSS